If you are driving a golf cart and they are paying you helper wages, file a grievance for top driver pay. If you are a steward in the areas where this is happening you better be filing on this as well. Hell I'm a steward in Kansas and I want to file on this crap in Florida!! We cannot let this continue, or we will all be replaced with half cost golf cart drivers!!

If you are driving a golf cart and they are paying you helper wages, file a grievance for top driver pay. If you are a steward in the areas where this is happening you better be filing on this as well. Hell I'm a steward in Kansas and I want to file on this crap in Florida!! We cannot let this continue, or we will all be replaced with half cost golf cart drivers!!

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I am on a golf cart and am hustling huge to get everything done. Yesterday I had a little less than 80 stops. I was talking with a manager and told him, "so, I guess I am a satellite driver...just without the truck - and making dirt wages?" And of course he said, "no, you're a driver helper..."

Uhh, what I am doing doesn't fall into my UPS orientations definition of "Driver Helper". I would rather be called a "UPS Helper".

I am simply excited to take the pressure off of the drivers during peak, but I very much understand where you are coming from on UPS paying 8.50 to persons with similar responsibilities as, let's say, a Temporary Cover Driver. (I am certainly not putting seasonal helpers on par with any of you other FT drivers or TCD's)

For instance, after I get done with my neighborhood (averaging 65 stops right now per day) I go and help a TCD that is not accustomed to his route. He is a super nice fellow that simply is out of sorts in a new area. By 3pm this guy is still jacking with his businesses and hasn't even tackled his Resi's. One day he had only completed 42 stops by 4pm. Poor guy was sent out with an incorrect Mapsco. Since he has gotten the correct Mapsco, his productivity hasn't really improved too much.

With all that said, since I am doing this seasonal gig to simply get hired on and begin a career with UPS, I would bet that if I did something as radical as file a grievance for driver/TCD pay - I would NEVER get a call back for January. Please correct me if I am wrong.

By the way, I am responding to this issue light heartedly. I am far too new to understand the intricacies of Union rules in affiliation with UPS standard operating procedure. Your post was simply interesting to me.

With all that said, since I am doing this seasonal gig to simply get hired on and begin a career with UPS, I would bet that if I did something as radical as file a grievance for driver/TCD pay - I would NEVER get a call back for January. Please correct me if I am wrong.

By the way, I am responding to this issue light heartedly. I am far too new to understand the intricacies of Union rules in affiliation with UPS standard operating procedure. Your post was simply interesting to me.

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Mata, just keep doing what you're doing. Don't let anyone on here, in person or in shouting distance to you tell you otherwise. You're in a precarious position right now, no, not with just trying to keep up. You're trying to do good so you get hired after peak. Totally understandable.

I did the same thing. Was first peak hire that year. Sep 20. Was told that would probably get laid off after peak but if they needed anybody AND I did a good job, they MIGHT call me back. Hell, I was a heavy equipment operator for ten years, getting laid off every winter anyways, so I was used to it. I said, "Let's go for it".

Long story short, was laid off one day. Came back to work everyday I wanted to (and most I didn't want to). Now laid off permanent. 32 years later. Retired.

If you are driving a golf cart and they are paying you helper wages, file a grievance for top driver pay. If you are a steward in the areas where this is happening you better be filing on this as well. Hell I'm a steward in Kansas and I want to file on this crap in Florida!! We cannot let this continue, or we will all be replaced with half cost golf cart drivers!!

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What happened to precedence?
UPS was doing this in Arizona in the 80's ... just because you are just hearing about this does not make it new.
Last time I checked, one does not even have to have a driver's license to drive a golf cart.

Mata, just keep doing what you're doing. Don't let anyone on here, in person or in shouting distance to you tell you otherwise. You're in a precarious position right now, no, not with just trying to keep up. You're trying to do good so you get hired after peak. Totally understandable.

I did the same thing. Was first peak hire that year. Sep 20. Was told that would probably get laid off after peak but if they needed anybody AND I did a good job, they MIGHT call me back. Hell, I was a heavy equipment operator for ten years, getting laid off every winter anyways, so I was used to it. I said, "Let's go for it".

Long story short, was laid off one day. Came back to work everyday I wanted to (and most I didn't want to). Now laid off permanent. 32 years later. Retired.

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Thank you for the advice. Like I mentioned in my post, I was responding to the Stewards (grgrcr88) post in a light hearted fashion. I didn't mean to come off as actually contemplating the Stewards aforementioned approach. But thank you for your concern.

I have already been asked by management which shift I was desiring starting January - AM or PM. I am very excited to begin my career with UPS.

I have first hand knowledge of this, as both the homeowner, and a driver at the same time. This was back in 98-99. I had a nice house in a nice tight neighborhood, that my manager begged me to use for a drop-off point in the AM. I gave the drop off driver the garage code, and he would drop off the packages in the AM and the golf cart was already there. A girl would show up and deliver the neighborhood all day long from my garage. I thought it might be a benefit to my neighborhood since it was the tail end of the day. With her doing it on a golf cart the whole place would be done before dark. Well the problems started right away, I would come home after 12 hours, could not put MY car in the garage the whole month of December, and was expected to bring bad adds, not ins and everything else back the next morning to the building. Well about 6 days before Christmas the golf cart girl quit. So, for the next week there is package cars in my driveway busting out the 200 stops per day to whoever got done first. One day I was done about 8 PM and they tried to send ME to MY HOUSE to get stops to bust it out....No thanks. Then I got a letter from the Homeowners Assoc. that I was conducting an unapproved business from my house. After peak I went to cut my grass (I live in S Florida) and my 5 gallon gas can was empty thanks to my local 79 buddies who forgot to bring gas from the center. Thanks again Teamsters. The part I wonder about now, everyone is getting warning letters for leaving the bulkhead door open from what I hear. These golf carts run around with an open back, and will never know if they lose a box.

Personally I believe this is much a do about nothing. So Christmas hirers are delivering in neighbor hoods on a golf cart. We all know that this is not a viable long term solution. In my building they tried these Zap cars two years ago and we haven't seen them since. So these things will NEVER replace a package car and the driver. I have a large golf course community on my route with over 900 homes on it and UPS approached me with this idea. I simply said good luck! Once they investigated the size of the place and the terrain along with the type of packages these customers get, they realized there was no chance.

The logic is that for every 2 golf carts out there making $8.50 an hour they have eliminated 1 full time driver position at $29.99/hr, plus benefits. As long as no one complains, it will continue. I would really like to see one of these cases in front of a panel. I understand the reluctance of a seasonal driver to grieve anything as they are trying to earn their stripes, but I believe every Steward that has this happening in their local should grieve it. A "helper" should be just that, helper. Not an independent driver running their own route. Just because it's a smaller truck does not change the fact that these guys are in fact drivers, not helpers. And should be paid as such!!!!!

The part I wonder about now, everyone is getting warning letters for leaving the bulkhead door open from what I hear. These golf carts run around with an open back, and will never know if they lose a box.

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After 9/11, regulations were to be inforced that all common carriers had to have their vehicles and loads secured at all times when the driver is not immediatly present. We just had a PCM that the DOT and TSA can fine the operator and/or the company up to $25,000 per infraction. We have an internationational airport and several sensitive "targets" delivered out of our center. Without the means to pay, I pull the key and shut the doors tight. I do notice the FedEx fellows don't seem to care.

I have first hand knowledge of this, as both the homeowner, and a driver at the same time. This was back in 98-99. I had a nice house in a nice tight neighborhood, that my manager begged me to use for a drop-off point in the AM. I gave the drop off driver the garage code, and he would drop off the packages in the AM and the golf cart was already there. A girl would show up and deliver the neighborhood all day long from my garage. I thought it might be a benefit to my neighborhood since it was the tail end of the day. With her doing it on a golf cart the whole place would be done before dark. Well the problems started right away, I would come home after 12 hours, could not put MY car in the garage the whole month of December, and was expected to bring bad adds, not ins and everything else back the next morning to the building. Well about 6 days before Christmas the golf cart girl quit. So, for the next week there is package cars in my driveway busting out the 200 stops per day to whoever got done first. One day I was done about 8 PM and they tried to send ME to MY HOUSE to get stops to bust it out....No thanks. Then I got a letter from the Homeowners Assoc. that I was conducting an unapproved business from my house. After peak I went to cut my grass (I live in S Florida) and my 5 gallon gas can was empty thanks to my local 79 buddies who forgot to bring gas from the center. Thanks again Teamsters. The part I wonder about now, everyone is getting warning letters for leaving the bulkhead door open from what I hear. These golf carts run around with an open back, and will never know if they lose a box.

Originally Posted by ExupserNaples
I have first hand knowledge of this, as both the homeowner, and a driver at the same time. This was back in 98-99. I had a nice house in a nice tight neighborhood, that my manager begged me to use for a drop-off point in the AM. I gave the drop off driver the garage code, and he would drop off the packages in the AM and the golf cart was already there. A girl would show up and deliver the neighborhood all day long from my garage. I thought it might be a benefit to my neighborhood since it was the tail end of the day. With her doing it on a golf cart the whole place would be done before dark. Well the problems started right away, I would come home after 12 hours, could not put MY car in the garage the whole month of December, and was expected to bring bad adds, not ins and everything else back the next morning to the building. Well about 6 days before Christmas the golf cart girl quit. So, for the next week there is package cars in my driveway busting out the 200 stops per day to whoever got done first. One day I was done about 8 PM and they tried to send ME to MY HOUSE to get stops to bust it out....No thanks. Then I got a letter from the Homeowners Assoc. that I was conducting an unapproved business from my house. After peak I went to cut my grass (I live in S Florida) and my 5 gallon gas can was empty thanks to my local 79 buddies who forgot to bring gas from the center. Thanks again Teamsters. The part I wonder about now, everyone is getting warning letters for leaving the bulkhead door open from what I hear. These golf carts run around with an open back, and will never know if they lose a box.

I would like to know if UPS put you on the clock to bring in those send agains and refused, etc. I would have changed my garage code and told the center manager not to drop off even one more package unless it was addressed to me and to send someone out to get what was left.